Tuesday, March 27, 2007

We do all believe that blogosphere is a pleasant place where meet friends and learn useful stuff and, yes, eventually make some business and money.Well, that's no longer true to me.Not after what I read this morning.At Steve Rubel's place I got this post about a blogger, Kathy Sierra, who received serious death threats.This is the link to her original post: it's disturbing and scaring.But do me a favour: read it and think about it.This seems no longer to be a game.

Monday, March 26, 2007

This is the kind of a moment when you wish that sci-fi was already reality and you can get transferred across the ocean in seconds.That kind of stuff that you can see in Battlestar Galactica or Startrek.

Like this one:

Why?Because last Friday, in New York City, some of the best brains around (and some of them are charming ladies, too) met for a party.

So, what?I was several thousands miles far from.

And?Still I'm a lucky guy because when we blog i do not feel the distance.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Few days ago, before I left for few days out (sorry, no vacation) I saw a small dog known in the neighborhood. He carries a small tag with written on: My name is Pedro, I live in the parking area and I'm not lost. He is used to go around by himself. Well few days ago, he was following a young lady (dog, of course) very far from home. I saw him from the bus and got worried about his chance to get back home alive: he was crossing a very busy street.The day later I saw him walking close to home in very good shape and safe.

Pedro has the customer attitude, the new customer attitude:

he goes by himself

he follows his instinct

he looks for new experience

he knows what he want

he doesn't get lost

Do you want to get new customers? Leave your desk and talk to people.Do you want to retain your customers? Engage them in new experience and keep conversation alive.Do you want to lose them? Try to put a leash on them. They will bite you.

We are always running out of time, pushed, pressed and squeezed like juiced oranges.We do fight to keep the qualitative standard of your job as high as possible.We do struggle to defend our revenue.Sound insane, isn't it?Why it seems so dificult to sit down and think about what we do?I believe that we would probably be scared of our conclusion.

Stephen Denny at Note to CMO published this post about the information overload and its impact on our daytime

Luc at Mindblob had this post on the Production trinity and how going short of time impact on its quality

Valeria at Conversation Agent had this post on how all our stuff lifetime is shorter than it used to be: better replace than fix

Monday, March 05, 2007

In my own blog, and in most of the others that i read, to open and to manage a conversation is a key issue.Without a conversation there is no engagement, no share of information, no transfer of knowledge.Without a conversation, we cannot learn to listen, to give qords their own meaning and not the one we would like them to have.Without conversation the essence of blogging would be lost as well as the newest trend in a customer centric marketing.But when we talk about conversation, we should know to whom pay tribute for having created the modern art of the dialogue.This great book from Benedetta Craveri covers this topic, describing when, where and who was behind this fascinating art.

In the early 17th century, conversation was the newest form of art in the French aristocratic circles. On personalities and gossip as well as on intellectual arguments, conversation came from several prominent women. The most prominent was the Marquise of Rambouillet, whose Blue Room was the most important circle.

Conversation had, at that time, the power to influence writers, their style, their themes.

Is it still true today?Are we still able to have a conversation with friends, parents, customers?Do we write as we talk or it is the opposite?

Thursday, March 01, 2007

When I used to travel intensively to the US of A, I was fascinated by some companies such as The Gap, Starbucks, etc. What do they had in common? They represented the American myth: wearing their stuff or telling about these coffee shops meant looking like the discerning traveller.Italian tourists were landing in the States with empty luggages and fill them with goods from these companies.Some of these brands have lost their appeal as of late.No longer able to identify themselves with the cultural changes in society, they started looking only in their backyards for inspiration.The Gap launched a division for women 40+ in a country where age is a taboo: something like "my dress is my ID".Starbucks sold its "third place" experience to save one or two minutes to people in line. What it communicates: take your coffee and run when coffee is a pleasure that takes time to enjoy.Many others followed the same path.

Some suggestions:

Get clued in -- read marketing books, but read newspapers and magazines as wellObserve -- go shopping and see what people look for and buyInteract -- don't stop looking around and listening to peopleDrive -- those changes, if you canExperience -- be part of the world outside your office, your facilitiesAdapt -- to the social and cultural changes